New comic book shop to open in October

Ken Murphy is at it again -- this October, the Cape Comic Con co-organizer and Cape Championship Wrestling promoter will open a comic-book store in Cape Girardeau: Cape Comics, at 637 Broadway.

Murphy formerly owned Marvels & Legends Comics in Cape Girardeau, and for 12 years, he said, he enjoyed having a retail space where people who loved comic books could gather and appreciate them together.

Then, between Murphy's three young children and rising health insurance costs, being self-employed was a less attractive option, he said.

He had a buyer, and he had a Marvels & Legends customer who wanted to hire a manager for a local Starbucks.

He took both opportunities.

Marvels & Legends is listed as "permanently closed" in online directories.

For the last 10 years, Murphy said, he's been the manager of the Starbucks Coffee Company location on Vantage Drive near Interstate 55 and William Street, and did not allow himself to miss having the comic shop.

But he kept up with the community, he said, through Cape Comic Con.

Beginning in 2005, the annual one-weekend production brought hundreds and eventually thousands of visitors to Cape Girardeau's restaurants, hotels, retail spaces -- "and that's important," Murphy said.

Cape Comic Con and Murphy's other interests, including Cape Championship Wrestling, were easy dots to connect with opening a new store this fall, he said.

And, personally, his life looks different. Now, his children are older, he said, and thanks to his job at Starbucks, he has the stability to take a second chance at making a shop of his own.

"I'm looking forward to building the community," Murphy said, and having a space where people feel welcomed.

"[The shop] will be very much a retail experience, the way I envision it," Murphy said.

There will be a secondary sales opportunity, he said -- he will have a sell/trade option -- but first and foremost, "I do want to be very current and relevant."

That means every Wednesday, shipments of new comics will be available to both subscription and walk-in customers, he said.

Gaming supplies and toys also will be on the shelves, he said. "All the things you'd see at Comic Con for the collector, for the hobby enthusiast, for the fan of pop culture," he said.

Murphy said there's been a big change in the industry in the last 10 years, and that's the rise of self-publishing.

There will be space in the shop for people who have self-published work in the comic-book genre, Murphy said.

"I think it's time, too, to highlight local artists," Murphy said, adding he plans to have some live sketching sessions in the store.

He hopes to host Kickstarter launches, too, for people who are looking to crowdsource funding for a creative project relevant to his clientele.

While digital publishing is great, Murphy said, he loves the printed word, and wants to have a place where people can see racks and shelves of printed material.

"I would like to be supportive," Murphy said.

"What I'm looking most forward to is getting back to having another place for the human connection in the hobby realm," Murphy said. "One weekend a year is not enough."

In addition to his store, Murphy is looking forward to the other projects he has lined up.

Cape Mini-Comic Con is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 3 at Crisp Museum, on Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus. This year, Murphy said, it will feature a museum exhibit of comic book art from a private collection, and planning is underway for Cape Comic Con 2019.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630